Fingolimod for PPMS trial unsuccessful

The results of the INFORMS trial (originally announced at the end of last year) have been published in the Lancet. The three year trial showed fingolimod was no better than placebo at slowing progression or reducing atrophy

Step training study

A small Australian study found that a home based video game approach to step training improved standing balance and coordination. There were fewer falls in the treatment group, though this wasn't statistically significant.

Company pulls out of female hormone treatment

A drug development company that was working on the development of Trimesta (estriol) as atreatment for relapsing remitting MS has withdrawn from the project. Their decision was based on an analysis of the results of the trial of the drug in combination with Copaxone, which it felt wasn't significantly better than Copaxone alone. The trial results were reported in December

Work and MS

Studies of a group of Americans with MS found that employment rates had fallen from 82% to below 40% since diagnosis. Being in work and having job satisfaction were associated with higher levels of quality of life.

Tysabri v fingolimod

An observational study in France found that at both one year and two years of treatment, people on Tysabri had a lower relapse rate than those taking fingolimod. They also showed fewer new lesions on MRI. There was no difference between the drugs on measures of the change in disability measured by EDSS. [The story uses the word 'more' in the third paragraph when presumably it should say 'fewer']

Indicators of risk of primary progressive MS

A US study looked at people with radiologically isolated syndrome (areas of damage visible on MRI but no symptoms and not yet diagnosed with MS). About 12% went on to develop primary progressive MS. These people were more likely to be men, older and to have lesions in the spinal cord